Lindell in dazzling form – shares 7th place, despite feeling mostly disappointed
Oliver Lindell continued his strong performance at the Amgen Irish Open on the second day of competition. The Finn shot a 70 (-2) and shares seventh place with eight other players with a total score of -6. This group also includes Tapio Pulkkanen, who shot a -3, the same as yesterday.
There was more to be had, and a top-3 finish was still within reach on the final hole of the day. However, he made some rare mistakes on the last hole and ended up with his second bogey of the day. Although the Porvoo native is once again among the top players, he was not at all satisfied with his performance today, especially on the greens.
"To be honest, the round left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. My performance was much better than yesterday, but with putting like this, I have no chance of reaching the top. I had a couple of surprising short game mishaps today. There was more sand in the bunker on the fourth hole than I thought, and I barely managed to get out of it, but I saved a couple of difficult shots. My wedge shot on the last hole went into the rough and spun off the green. It was a good spot to sink the ball, but I hit a clean duff for the first time in years from a muddy surface," Lindell lamented.
The round included four birdie putts, but several missed 3–5-metre putts proved fatal.
The Finn's improvement has been dazzling throughout the season. At the beginning of the season, it was impossible to imagine that a top 10 finish would leave so much to be desired. His tee shots remained solid, and his iron play in particular is in such good shape that he can compete for the win. A top 3 finish is still within striking distance, and with the putter warming up, anything is still possible.
"My iron shots were on point, which opened up a lot of opportunities. The greens were full of footprints, which is why the ball went wherever it wanted today."
"After The Open, I felt that I belonged among the leaders here, and now that my card for next season has been secured, I can freely chase a place in the final – and that has been reflected in my improved level of play. I need to sink my putts if I want to be in contention, because otherwise my game is really good," said Lindell.
Sweden's Joakim Lagergren took the lead with a dazzling round of 62 for a total score of -12.
Lindell will start his third round at 2:20 p.m. Finnish time with Brandon Wu of the United States.